Vegetation mascerating unit



Feb. 28, 1939. J. T. FIESE ET AL 2,148,547

VEGETATION MASCIIIRATING UNIT Filed Feb. 1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l yin 7 I I NVENTORS 7 7. F785 6 W. 6. F/rs/enberger BY v s 's:

ATTORNEY Feb. 28, 1939. J. T. FIESE ET AL 2,148,547

VEGETATION MASCERATING UNIT Filed Feb. 1, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ill/lg. 3

[E IE BEQQ EEE INVENTORS J. 7. F/ese W 6. firs/enberger BY QQ-MZ...

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 28, 1939 2,148,547

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VEGETATION MASCERATING UNIT Jesse T. Fiese and Welcome G. Firstenberger,

' Fresno, Calif.

Application February 1, 1937, Serial No. 123,388 6 Claims. (01. 130-27) This invention relates to mascerating devices acters of reference on the drawings, the cylinder and. particularly to the cylinder and concave l is a one piece cast member, having heads 2 units such as are used in threshers'and various adjacent its ends against which discs 3 are reother machines. movably secured in centralized relation therewith.

5 The principal object of our invention is to These discs are formed with axial bearing bosses so mount the teeth, both in the cylinder and 4 for the ends of stub shafts 5. In this manner concave, that they will be free fromthe loosenthe need of a continuous long shaft projecting ing and breakage common with teeth as ordinarily through the cylinder is avoided and the shafts mounted, and yet so that they will be capable or cylinder may be easily removed for repairs of quick and easy replacement when necessary. or replacement with a minimum of trouble. 0

Another object is to construct a unit so that Formed in the cylinder are longitudinal exa positive cutting action will be obtained on tending rows of inwardly projecting relatively slender whippy material (such as long tree deep open radial pockets 6, of rectangular form. prunings); and so that extremely heavy ma- The different rows are spaced 90 apart and terial passing between the cylinder and concave corresponding individual pockets are arranged in 15 will tend 'to be fractured or weakened before the samecircular planes, so that bands of solid reaching the concave teeth, and thus relieving unbroken metal are provided on the cylinder the latter of the heavy strains which might break between the adjacent circular rows of pockets. -the same. These features are exceptionally of Also the inwardly projecting metal about the value when the unit is used for chopping up pockets forms continuous reinforcing ribs of end :0 tree and vine cuttings left on the ground, which to end of the drum, strengthening the same are liable to vary in size considerably, and for against possible deflection. In this manner the which, service our unit has been particularly drum may be made very strong without being exdeveloped, cessively heavy and without relying on any shaft- 5 A further object is to construct the cylinder ing projecting through the drum to aid in supand its supporting shaft so that they may be porting the same against 'such deflection. easily taken apart for replacement or repairs- Each pocket is arranged to receive the reca feature of considerable importance in the case tangular shanks of the teeth 7 of suitable shape, of a cylinder of considerable length such as we the shanks being of such thickness that when abutted against the ends of the pockets, they no A still further object is to construct a one are spaced apart considerably. To limit the piece cylinder which irrespective of its length inward movement of the teeth flanges 8 project will be very strong without being excessively under the shanks from the inner ends of the heavy, pockets. A wedge clamping block 9 is disposed 5 A further object of the invention is to proin each pocket between adjacent shanks, the duce a simple and inexpensive device and yet adjacent faces of the latter being taper-recessed one which will be exceedingly effective for the as at In for the depth of and with the same purpose for which it is designed. slope as the block. A set screw II is threaded These objects We accomplish by means of such through the block and its inner end abuts against 40 structure and relative arrangement of parts as the wall of the pocket at the wide end of the will fully appear by a perusal of the following block. Beyond the opposite end of the block the specification and claims. screw projects freely through the adjacent wall In the drawings similarcharacters of reference of the pocket and is provided with a head l2 indicate corresponding parts in the several-views: disposed inwardly of the periphery of the cylinder Figure 1 is an end view of the cylinder and in an open recess l3 formed therein. concave unit partly in section. By means of this construction advance of the Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal elevascrew will draw the block tightly across the tion of the unit, partly shown in section on the shanks, forcing them apart and in firm and nonline 2-2 of Fig. 1. loosening engagement with the end walls of the Figure 3 is an underside view of one of the pocket. At the same time the teeth may be 50 concave sections with the teeth removed. easily and quickly removed by loosening the Figure 4 is a fragmentary enlarged section on screw, so that the block will be drawn clear of the line 44 of Fig. 1 showing the clamping of the taper-recesses of the shanks. This construca pair of teeth. tion enables us to use teeth having considerable Referring now more particularly to the charthickness in the direction of shearing strains, so 55 that the teeth are very strong and the likelihood of their being sheared oil is reduced to a minimum. The spacing of the different pockets along the cylinder is such that all the teeth in a row are equally spaced apart as indicated in Fig. 2.

The concave, to cooperate with the cylinder, comprises a number of cast sections ll supported at one end on a shaft l5 and at the opposite end resting on blocks I6. The sections at their ends have flanges 11 whereby adjacent sections may be bolted to each other.

Each section has a row of upwardly projecting open pockets l8 of the same size and end to end spacing as the cylinder pockets. Each pocket [8 receives the shanks of a pair of teeth l9, which are clamped in place by a wedge block having a screw 2| projecting therethrough, in the same manner as the teeth I. The pockets l8 are disposed in intermediate or staggered relation to the cylinder pockets, so that the teeth l9 will be disposed between the teeth I as shown in Fig. 2. For use in a mascerating machine for chopping up tree and vine cuttings and the like and for which our unit is particularly designed, we provide certain additional features. One feature is a series of diagonally disposed shallow ribs 22 extending between the rows of pockets IS on the underside of the concave as shown in Fig. 3, and clear of the path of the teeth I as shown in Fig. 1. These ribs act to deflect whippy twigs and the like transversely of the concave and into the path of the cooperating teeth and thus avoiding the possibility of such twigs passing straight through the unit without being acted on.

Another feature is a transverse row of heavy lugs 23 rigid with the concave and depending from the same ahead of the rows of pockets. I8 and between the paths of the cylinder teeth. The depth of these lugs is sufiicient to cause them to project inwardly of the path of the outer edges of the teeth 1 somewhat so as to cause any parts engaged by said lugs to be acted on by the teeth. The purpose of these lugs is to enable any extra heavy pieces, such as small rigid tree limbs, to be initially broken or weakened before coming in contact with the concave teeth, and eliminating the heavy strains which would otherwise be placed on said teeth.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device,

still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mascerating unit, a tooth mounting member, means on said member to form pockets open to the exterior surface of said member, a pair of teeth for each pocket, said teeth having shanks projecting into said pocket, in spaced apart relation, a wedge block disposed between the shanks and having opposed sloping faces in contact with the shanks and disposed at right angles to the longitudinal plane of the teeth, the shanks having taper-recesses the depth of and conforming to the slope of said wedge-block faces, and means applied to the block to move the same in the direction of its narrow end.

2. A structure as' in claim. 1, in which said last named means comprises a screw threaded through the block lengthwise of said faces and adapted at its inner end to engage a wall of the pocket between the shanks and projecting through the opposite wall of the pocket to an exposed termination for manipulation, the cylinder having an open recess in the side in which said screw termination is disposed inwardly of the peripheral plane of the cylinder.

3. In a mascerating unit, a tooth mounting member, means on said member to form pockets open to the exterior surface of the member, a tooth for each pocket having a shank projecting into the pocket to bear on one side against one face of the pocket, a wedge block in the pocket engaging the opposite side of the shank and disposed at right angles to the longitudinal plane of the tooth, means acting on the wedge so that when the latter is moved lengthwise in one direction the shank will be clamped against said face of the pocket, and means to move the wedge in said direction.

4. In a mascerating unit, a tooth mounting member, means on said member to form pockets open to the exterior surface of the member, a tooth for each pocket having a shank projecting into the pocket to bear on one side against one face of the pocket, and means to releasably clamp said side of the shank against said face of the pocket and comprising a wedge block in the pocket disposed at right angles to the longitudinal plane of the tooth and movable lengthwise to eifect the clamping action.

5. In a mascerating unit, a tooth mounting member, means on said member toform pockets open to the exterior surface of said member, a pair of teeth for each pocket, said teeth having shanks projecting into said pockets in spaced relation, a wedge block disposed between the shanks with its sloping faces engaging adjacent faces of the shanks, and means operatively engaged between the member and block to move the latter lengthwise of its faces.

6. In a mascerating unit, a tooth mounting member, means on said member to form pockets open to the exterior surface of said member, a pair of teeth for each pocket, said teeth having shanks projecting into said pockets in spaced relation, a wedge block disposed between the shanks with its sloping faces engaging adjacent faces of the shanks, and means applied to the block to move the same lengthwise of said sloping faces; said last named means comprising a screw threaded through the wedge block lengthwise of its sloping faces and adapted at its inner end to engage a wall of the pocket between the shanks, and projecting through the other wall of the pocket to an exposed termination for manipulation.

JESSE T. FIESE. WELCOME G. F'JIRST'ENBERGHE!R. 

